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But now the news of contract military priests being unable to say Mass at military installations is making national news. Even the liberal tabloid Huffington Post carried the story:

Is religious freedom the latest casualty of the government shutdown?

Some priests are being actively prevented from ministering to service members and their families, even on a volunteer basis, and they run the risk of arrest if they disobey. As a result, military families serving at home and abroad who depend on the government for their religious services, are now actively being denied communion on bases that are served by civilian priests. Active-duty priests are still holding services.

Several military installations, like Quantico in northern Virginia, do not have a full-time Catholic chaplain on base. Catholics at that base rely on a contract priest to come to their base and say Mass. But that isn’t happening during the shutdown shutdown.

Father Ray Leonard, a Catholic priest who serves a Georgia military base, was not allowed to celebrate mass at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay this weekend.

“Shutdown: No Catholic service till further notice,” a sign posted on the chapel said.

Leonard — who is contracted with the Department of Defense to minister the military on the base — is not allowed to work on the base during the federal government shutdown.

This is madness.

Yes, there are serious disagreements between House Republicans and Senate Democrats. But surely they can come together and ensure that contract priests are able to say Mass at military bases this Sunday.

Last Friday, the general counsel for Archdiocese for the Military Services sounded the alarm. We at CatholicVote swung into action. Steve Skojec’s article about this subject has been read by 100,000 people on Friday alone. By late Friday evening, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor promised a quick vote in the House.

On Saturday, Democrats and Republicans came together in the House to pass a Concurrent Resolution, which expresses the intent of Congress that their previously passed law against people volunteering their time during a government shutdown was never intended to apply to ministers performing religious ceremonies.

It was a lopsided 400-1 vote. Even Nancy Pelosi voted to let the Catholic priests say Mass on military bases.

On Monday, we sent a message to the entire CatholicVote membership, telling them to call their two United States Senators. But it’s been four days since the House took action, and so far the Senate hasn’t budged.

The military is obligated to provide religious support only when and where none are available. Trainees not allowed to leave base would be one example. Another is in a deployed location, especially in a combat zone.

Stateside, chapels started out when military posts were away from normal civilization (like out West 150 years ago), but now are provided as a service where civilian opportunities for worship are more plentiful and with a wider variety than offered on base. Catholic members forced to drive 10 minutes off base to get to mass? This is not a story.

Also I am appalled at how the Obama admin is bringing the full force of government against citizens for apparently punitive measures. People still have constitutional rights even when the government is shut down.

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